November 2009

Anna has been nominated for the 2009 Satellite Awards! Anna is up for the Best Supporting Actress Category for Up in the Air, along with Emily Blunt for “Sunshine Cleaning”, Penelope Cruz for “Nine”, Mozhan Marno, and Mo’nique for “Precious”. Co-star George Clooney is nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical, while Up in the Air is also nominated for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Ten Best Films of 2009.

The L.A. Times:

The International Press Academy (IPA) announced its nominations for the 14th Annual Satellite Awards on Sunday, and as in past years, the sizable list is a mixed bag of names with considerable Oscar buzz and left-field choices. On one hand, contenders such as Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”), Colin Firth (“A Single Man”), Meryl Streep (“Julie and Julia”), Mo’nique (“Precious”) and Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”) are all included in the acting categories . . . {2009 Satellite Awards nominees: Off-beat or Oscar predictor?}

The L.A. Times has also an article on their picks for Supporting Actress Oscar winner:

However, the star of “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” portrays a monstrous ghetto mama so vile that voters may hold the role against the actress. In that case, this contest is wide open, and several of her rivals have a good shot at an upset, including Julianne Moore (“A Single Man”) and “Up in the Air” stars Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. I think a lot of my fellow Oscarologists are foolishly underestimating Farmiga. Most think that her young, bubbly costar, Anna Kendrick, has a better shot at getting nominated. But beware: Award voters, mostly male and middle-aged (and older), often get excited by mature women who portray the seductress.

Remember there is also still time to vote for Anna in the People’s Choice Awards, and the televised screening will take place on January 6, 2010. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles premiere for Up in the Air should be taking place shortly!

EDIT: Anna was on Making Of, where she mentions the mystery of her Twitter name: Annakendrick47 actually stands for AK-47, a nickname Rocket Science co-star Nicholas D’Agosto christened her on-set ;).

Making Of (Thanks Barrett for the tip)! :

Manny the Movie Guy:

Coming Soon:

“It’s a little bizarre to be in the middle of it, but I feel like I had reached a threshold when I signed on to a George Clooney, Jason Reitman movie — so I’ve sort of just plateaued,” said Kendrick. {Exclusive: Up in the Air with Anna Kendrick }

It takes a strong actress to share the screen with an actor like Clooney and “Up in the Air” director Jason Reitman had no doubts he’d found the right woman for the job.

“She is just spectacular. She is from another era,” said Reitman. “She is fast and funny and goes toe to toe with Clooney effortlessly. She is a fearless actress and that’s the quality I love most in an actor.”

Anna’s planning to just hang on and enjoy the ride she’s on right now and it’s a world that includes her first encounter with Oscar buzz.

“It’s a little bizarre to be in the middle of it, but I feel like I had reached a threshold when I signed on to a George Clooney, Jason Reitman movie — so I’ve sort of just plateaued,” said Kendrick. {Anna Kendrick trades in vampires for Clooney}

Parade Magazine:

Don’t ask her to predict box office success.
“I can remember when I was offered the role in Twilight feeling like, ‘OK, I’m going to do this movie and it’s about vampires so maybe it will be cool.’ I was telling my friends I was in Twilight and none of them had heard of it. So I was going, ‘Maybe people will like it and maybe we’ll break even if we’re lucky.’ Now, it’s everywhere, a global phenomenon. I’m not exactly sure how that happened.”

The big lip lock you won’t see in Up in the Air.
“There was a scene that was cut from the film where I get drunk and I make out with a guy that I meet. I thought that we should just give it a test run before we had to do it in front of the cameras. I wanted to be professional about it. So we went into another room and kind of did a little smooching. Afterward, this guy looked as though he’d been like violated. He was like, ‘Oh, that was very efficient.’ I was like, ‘I’m an efficient kisser? That’s awesome, that’s great news.'”

Coping with Oscar buzz for her performance.
“I think surreal is absolutely the right word. It’s very strange for me to sit in my filthy, unwashed Prius, which I’ve had since I was 18, or in my room with my pile of laundry, and feel like there are people talking about Oscar buzz. It’s very strange because I feel like people who get talked about in that way are these kind of perfect human beings. You’re supposed to be really polished and really grownup to get Oscar buzz. There’s almost a feeling like, ‘If you could just see my life and see how often I’m almost falling apart, you’d understand why I think it’s weird.'”
Getting that Tony nomination at 12.
“People don’t usually start that young. Believe me, when you’re 10-years-old, and trying to make it, two years is a long ass time not to get a job. There were definitely moments where I was like, ‘What am I doing, where am I going?’ In my own way I was definitely a very serious little girl and there were times when I thought I was being ridiculous, and being a success was a stupid dream. I guess I just knew what I wanted at the age. I think I was more ambitious as a child than I am now.” {Anna Kendrick: Filming ‘New Moon’ Was ‘Nerve-Wracking’}

Boston Globe:

Ask [Jason Reitman] about his boyhood and he’ll reveal a mild obsessive-compulsive disorder that compelled him to flip his bedroom light switches in the exact same way every night. He uses that to his advantage now, directing his actors with extraordinary focus and vision.

“He’s really specific,’’ Kendrick confirms. Best known for roles in “Rocket Science’’ and “Twilight,’’ she appreciated Reitman’s sturdiness on set, maybe because she hails from no-nonsense Maine and with this filmmaker “you always know that if what you’re trying isn’t working, he’s got a plan.’’ {At the top, with an eye on downsizing}

If that isn’t enough, I’ve also got around to adding scans from magazines out now including Vogue, Popstar, and Film Fantasy:

You can also find a small Anna-blurb in the latest Entertainment Weekly, which we should have soon ;)!

Speaking of interviews, the full Hot Blog DP30 Interview is now up on their site {www.dp30.com}. a full, very interesting 30 minutes with a gorgeous Anna, what’s not to love? She touches up on her childhood in Maine and Broadway, differences between working in film and on stage, and among other things, Taco Bell. A true necessity for any Anna fan ;):

There is also one more Up in the Air press junket interview from Talking Pictures:

Talking Pictures also has one from the American Airlines Press Junket:

In addition, USAweekend has a follow-up interview accompanying the previously posted article, she mentions her parents’ film influence and her Broadway beginnings:

Did the early start on Broadway put you on the right path?
Yeah, I’m sure it did. Even though the rejection is hard to handle at that age, there’s also a fearlessness in you. It’s that age where part of you just wants to disappear, that tricky adolescent phase. It also seemed less frightening to go on stage in front of thousands of people. Had I waited until I was like 20 to give it a shot for the first time, maybe after a couple of bad auditions I would have just given up.

Was getting a Tony nod even a big deal to you when you were 12?
I really never wrapped my head around the idea of the history of it all. That ultimately was probably a good thing just because it would have freaked me out if I was 12 years old and fully understood what it meant to be nominated for a Tony Award.

Did you have an actress you looked up to at that age?
When I did High Society, I watched the musical film version, but I also watched The Philadelphia Story. It’s impossible to see Katharine Hepburn and not be inspired by her. I’ve looked up to her ever since. She’s special because she’s beautiful, but she’s not gorgeous in a traditional way. The thing that comes across about her on screen is how intelligent she is. She’s a good role model to have.

Were your parents fans of classic cinema, or did you develop that on your own?
It was probably a little bit of both. I got a lot of film recommendations from some of the actors and actresses in High Society, and my parents always encouraged me to make intelligent choices in every area of my life. When I was living with my dad when we were doing High Society, we’d go to rent a movie and at 12, I’d want to rent some silly romantic comedy. He’d be like, “OK, we can rent that if we also rent The African Queen.” And then of course, I’d watch African Queen like four times in a row. {Anna Kendrick talks Oscar buzz, Clooney and ‘Up in the Air’}

As you can see we have a new temporary layout. The old one was having a lot of problems outside of FireFox. I’m going to be making a lot of updates lately including a new Gallery layout, and majorly updating the Style section, Press archives, and Video Archives. Please let us know if you experience any problems with the new (temporary) look ;).

Here is one more print interview from U.S.A. Weekend:

Although those two guys [Clooney and Pattinson] are tabloid regulars, the “Up in the Air” star is just fine with flying, so to speak, under the radar. Getting gussied up for premieres isn’t quite her style. The good news: She can get back to “my Converse-wearing, video-store existence right after I’m doing something really glamorous,” she says.

Theater took her to New York, but “Up in the Air” has landed her several more places with Clooney, including Omaha. “The first day I showed up on set, I was sick, and he was telling me to eat chicken soup. I questioned him because I thought it was just an old wives’ tale,” she recalls. “He told me that I should trust him because he played a doctor on TV.” (Remember “ER?”)

From what she has gathered working with the likes of Clooney, Pattinson and other A-listers, there isn’t one formula for success. “If there were, then anybody could do it,” she says. Kendrick’s secret? A lot of luck. And she considers herself just as fortunate that, whenever a flight home lands, she can resume her low-key lifestyle in West Hollywood. “For a few days in certain cities, I get treated like I’m a big deal, and then I get to go back and feel totally normal again.” {Clooney’s new co-star}

The Official Up in the Air website has received a bit of a makeover. You can now preview the soundtrack, view cast info, reviews, photos and production notes:

There’s a print interview from Newday, where Anna mentions her Youtube fame, reaction to finding out she was working with George, and Twilight phenom:

You’re known to cult audiences for your knockout performance in the underseen but critically acclaimed “Rocket Science,” and for a YouTube clip of your knockout song “The Ladies Who Lunch” in the movie “Camp” (2003) . . .
Oh, no!

Oh, no? What, oh, no?
[Laughs] No, it’s just funny that for whatever reason only that one number has really resurfaced on YouTube, and it makes me regret that people don’t see the whole movie . I mean, I understand it, and I’m happy people are watching any piece of it, but people really should see the whole movie!

What’s next? “Twilight” surely raised your profile.
It’s funny – I was cast before “Twilight,” actually. “Twilight” is this huge phenomenon, but I’ve yet to get a job from it! [laughs] I was cast in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” [her next film] for ages before “Twilight” came out. And Jason saw “Rocket Science” and didn’t even know what “Twilight” was. He actually texted me after seeing it and said, “Oh, I loved ‘Twilight,’ great job, but I prefer when you play a genius.” As strange compliments go, that’s pretty good! {Anna Kendrick goes from ‘Twilight’ to ‘Up in the Air’}

Here’s one more interview, this one with The Contender:

George Clooney has a reputation for being a world-class prankster when the cameras aren’t rolling — is that your experience with him?
No pranks, but he’s definitely a joker. He was playing Nerf football around my head when I would try to prepare for a scene. He has a teenager’s energy, and it made me feel like the on-set mom, like “C’mon, you guys, focus…”

Do you know people like your character, Natalie, in real life?
It’s almost like I know a bunch of girls, myself included, who are almost like Natalie. There’s a frustration that comes along with being female, and there’s a sense that if you can swim with the sharks and be one of the boys — if you can conquer that — that’s where a lot of her personality comes from. I don’t know anyone who’s gone fully into that world, but there is a temptation, I think, in every girl’s life to do so at some point.

There are a lot of people who are calling you a contender for the upcoming awards season. What is your reaction to the response to your performance?
I’m beyond thrilled that people like the movie and my performance. But as far as that “buzz” word, it’s really strange. It’s that same feeling — don’t you know I’m from Maine? It almost feels like if people saw how often I’m on the verge of falling apart, there’s no way they’d be using my name in the same sentence as “Oscar.”

I feel really out of place in gowns and walking down the red carpet and mingling with people whom I perceive as being so polished and good at everything. Logically, I realize that it’s a ridiculous thing to think, but part of me can’t help but feel that I’d get kicked out of parties like that.
If given the choice, would you rather work on more indie-minded projects like “Up in the Air” or event pictures like “New Moon”?
You hit the nail on the head with “Up in the Air” — it felt like an indie. I would love to work again with a small cast like this and build a real relationship with the cast, both on and off-screen, as opposed to the proverbial town-meeting feeling of the “Twilight” saga. {The Contender Q&A: Anna Kendrick}

EDIT: And another from Entertainment Weekly! Wonder if this means they’ll be another Anna-include in the magazine?

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So does the New Moon experience compare to Twilight?ANNA KENDRICK: It felt a little bit bigger than last year, but ultimately I think it was about as packed as it could have been for Twilight and if there were more people it just meant that they were packed tighter and a little further away. It felt a little bit like déjà vu. But I was a lot less nervous this year.
What’s your most memorable fan encounter?
There was a girl in Vancouver who came up to me in a store and asked me to give something to Taylor the next time that I saw him, and I just said I wasn’t sure the next time I would see him, so I didn’t want to take it. Because I didn’t really know what it was going to be. She said it as though she had it with her, as if she carried it around just in case she ran into a Twilight cast-member on the street. So I was a little too nervous to take it, but I still wonder what it was. {Anna Kendrick talks ‘New Moon’ fever and George Clooney}

Only weeks after her return from London to Los Angeles, Anna is back in the rainy city again. On November 25, Anna attended the Charity Royal Film Performance of Steven Jackson’s new fantasy The Lovely Bones. The event also welcomed the likes of European nobles including Prince Charles of Wales and the Dutchess of Cornwall(!) not to mention Susan Serandon and a slew of internation young talent, including Bones’ stars Saoirse Ronan and Rose McIvor (who was also in the Entertainment Weekly Holiday special).

Anna was snapped checking through security at LAX on her way to London on November 23, 2009. Just Jared reports:

Anna Kendrick shows off her multi-tasking skills as she goes through security at LAX Airport in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon (November 23).

http://anna-kendrick.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/laxanna06-150×150.jpgThe 24-year-old actress chatted about her first day on the set of Up In The Air with the LA Times. Anna shared, “”I spent every day from the moment I won the part sure I was about to be fired,” she says. “First it was the costume fitting, then the camera test, and then the table read. Each day was the day I knew they would realize they actually wanted Evan Rachel Wood.”

I’m wondering if there is going to be an Up in the Air premiere in London before the L.A. Up in the Air premiere scheduled for November 30th?

Anna has switched talent agencies. She had been going strong with Beverly Hills based APA literary and talent agency for a couple of years, but recently made the switch to CAA (Creative Arts Agency) on Avenue to the Stars, L.A. CAA has been the agency of prestigious talent, including her Up in the Air co-star George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, LeBron James, Will Ferrell, Will Smith, and David Letterman. Before APA, she was with talent agency endeauver.

It is not clear why Anna made the switch, but deadline.com thinks it’s related to CAA making an offer with her because of her Oscar worthy role near awards season:

Yes, she’s in the Twilight movies. But right now she’s best known within the Industry as the actress who steals the probable Oscar nominated Up In The Air. This is the time of year when the major agencies hunt for awards-touted talent. {Anna Kendrick Exits APA For CAA}

Even more interviews are making there rounds thanks to a round table press junket for Up in the Air November 21. As always, I’ve singled out the parts I find the most interesting or new, but be sure to click the link to view the whole interview:

CNN:

Ladies’ man George Clooney isn’t short on romance pointers — even if they’re for a younger, female co-star.

“He had rules for me about dating and stuff. It was really sweet,” Anna Kendrick said at Saturday’s press day for their new comedy/drama “Up in the Air,” out December 4.

“It’s funny, actually. A friend of his that was his age [48] was dating somebody younger than me. He thought that was fine. I was like, ‘What would you say to me if I were dating somebody your age?’ He said, ‘Oh no, absolutely not.'”

The 24-year-old admits, “He had this kind of older brother thing with me.” And, her character, who has argumentative romantic tension with Clooney in the film jokes, “Is he too old for me? Yes. George Clooney is too old for me.” {George Clooney gives his co-star dating advice }

Iesb.net:

Q: Did you tap into your own inner control freak for this role?
Anna: I think she’s a control freak, and I think I’m a control freak, but we react to being out of our element in very different ways. I get more awkward and I fumble and things immediately fall apart. And, Natalie’s rigidity and self-awareness increases exponentially, when she feels out of control. She tries to cling to anything that she can control or keep orderly, whether it’s her hair or her computer. It makes for some very interesting comedy.

Q: With such great dialogue in this film, did you have a favorite line or moment?
Anna: I loved yelling at George and telling him off. I loved telling George that he was a 12-year-old. I was so looking forward to that scene, almost to the extent that I was concerned that it was gonna be an indulgent thing. And, Jason reassured me and made sure that I stayed on track, but I was so looking forward to that, when I read that scene in the script. It was like every ex-boyfriend that I’ve ever had, in the form of George Clooney, on a boardwalk. So, telling George Clooney that he was 12 was a lot of fun.

Q: This movie shows how modern technology has replaced actually spending time and interacting with other people. In your own life, do you text more than you see people?
Anna: I try not to. I’ve tried iChat now. I’ve tried Facebook, but I’m off Facebook. I can’t do any of that Facebook or MySpace stuff. I feel like it’s a really false way of staying in touch. There are people I want to keep in my life, and there are people that I’ve had to let go of because I feel like a texting relationship or a Facebook relationship is a false relationship. I try to be better about staying in touch with people I’m close to. If it has to be over text or phone then so be it, but I’m much better at in-person interaction.

Q: So, you’d never break up with someone by text then?
Anna: No. When I was 11 years old, I broke up with my boyfriend over email. That’s true. But, email was new, so it was still okay to do that.
Q: Have you had any airplane experiences that stand out for you?
Anna: I just did a press junket for this movie on a plane, which was strange. That was definitely the first time that I’ve ever seen a concert in a plane. Sad Brad did his song from the movie. Flying into Vancouver is always weird because I look like such a bum when I fly and Vancouver is the one place there’s always sure to be Twilight paparazzi, so there’s tons of pictures of me online, in the exact same hoodie. I’m like, “Well, you really needed that picture, didn’t you? I look exactly the same, in the same outfit.”

Q: Do you have any beauty secrets for being in Hollywood?
Anna: I can’t really stick to a work-out regime. I’m the worst. But, I did yoga while I was shooting the movie. I tried yoga, for the very first time, in St. Louis, and that was pretty fun. I don’t know. I’m boring. {Interview: UP IN THE AIR with Anna Kendrick }

Collider.com:

Question: Tell us about Stacey Pilgrim?
Anna Kendrick AK: She’s Scott’s sister. I got to meet the real Stacey Pilgrim which was amazing. I basically just sort of judge Scott for all his life choices and tell him how to live his life which is fun, but I care about him too.
Is she [the real Stacey] exactly like he wrote?
AK: Well, she’s half-Asian so we’re not exactly the same but she seemed really, really sweet. I was like, “You get a bad rap in these books.” But she did say that she used to give Bryan a really hard time about whoever he was dating so that’s where that came from.

What was your reaction to the style.

AK: You should start emotionally preparing yourself now. It’s so good, people are not going to know what hit them. I have a small role in so I’m allowed to gush. It’s so cool. I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s an energy and a style that I’ve just never seen before and I think it’s going to make the fastest movie you’ve seen look like a Merchant Ivory film. There, I said it.{Anna Kendrick on SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD}

“Twilight: New Moon” actress Anna Kendrick stars in films with two of Hollywood’s hottest hunks — Robert Pattinson and George Clooney — this year. Dream jobs, right?
She starred with Robert in “New Moon” and “Eclipse” and George in the awards-buzzed Jason Reitman dramady film, “Up in the Air.”

Her friends are totally impressed but she’s like, “Eh, they’re OK … They’re such punks, they’re like such a pair of hooligans.”

Still, she really enjoyed teasing George Clooney about being “old” since he teased her on a daily basis about being short.

Anna admits that she was blown away when she saw the “New Moon” box office numbers Friday night on a friend’s cell phone at a party at screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg’s home.

One more from the airplane promotion of Up in the Air, this one from Upper Westside Journal:

And here are a couple more from the New Moon premiere:

I’ll have interview caps up soon, as well as add them to out new Youtube for easy viewing! Up in the Air tv spots are also hitting the small screen. There is one that I saw on E! that had a couple new clips of Anna’s character.

Anna’s Tweets

Anna’s Instagram

Gallery Images

Featured Album

Featured Video

Featured Quote

“The most important thing to me, and the most impressive thing to me, is when, whether it’s the writer, director, actor… they put something across on-screen that makes me think ‘I wish I were brave enough to say that.’ I think that’s the only reason to create anything. To stand up and say ‘I’m this way, I don’t know if anybody else is, but I feel like I need to communicate that.’ And that is something that I think is the most noble and courageous thing to do with art – to say ‘Maybe you should forgive yourself for whatever it is that you’re embarrassed about.’”